Frank Gehry, Placido Domingo to help YoungArts Foundation

Facundo L. Bacardi, Frank Gehry, Lin Arison and Paul T. Lehr at the announcement of the new headquarters for the National YoungArts Foundation in Miami.

Facundo L. Bacardi, Frank Gehry, Lin Arison and Paul T. Lehr at the announcement of the new headquarters for the National YoungArts Foundation in Miami. (PR Newswire / Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.)

David Ng

Frank Gehry and Placido Domingo will be lending a hand to the National YoungArts Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides financial assistance and other forms of support to aspiring artists. The organization announced this week that it has acquired the Bacardi Tower and Museum buildings in Miami that will serve as its national headquarters.

Gehry has been commissioned to design the master plan for the historic campus, the group said. The architect was also named an artistic advisor for the group, along with Domingo and choreographer Bill T. Jones. The three have worked with YoungArts in the past as mentors for its master classes.

YoungArts said it will expand its programming throughout the country, including a new series in Los Angeles that will offer master classes, performances and exhibitions.

The group's new headquarters will be situated on a campus designed by Gehry. The organization said the campus will host year-round programming, including master classes and forums with renowned arts leaders, as well as an art gallery offering exhibitions with free admission, curated in partnership with the Miami Art Museum.

Since its inception in 1981, YoungArts has awarded more than $6 million in awards to more than 16,000 students. The organization was founded by Lin and Ted Arison. The late Ted Arison, who died in 1999, was a founder of Carnival Cruise Lines.